The Galveston County Daily News

When the temperatures climb near triple digits, popping open a cold soda is one of the quickest weapons against the heat. Quaffing an icy beverage is a rite of summer. The Coca-Cola Co. estimates it sells more than 1 billion drinks a day.

Not all those Cokes are for drinking; cooks use quite a few in familiar recipes like Coca-Cola cake and baked beef brisket.

Coca-Cola cake is a Southern tradition and turns up on the menu at Galveston’s Chopin Mon Ami Catering and Restaurant frequently, accompanying other down-home favorites.

Much like another regional cake, the Texas sheet cake, Coca-Cola cake is a dense, brownie-like cake covered with fudgy frosting.

Like the Texas sheet cake, there are numerous variations, both good (pecans in the frosting) and ill-advised (Miniature marshmallows? In cake? No.)

The Coke adds its sweetness to the cake, of course, but its dark color and hint of flavor actually pairs nicely with chocolate.

Cooks who might be reluctant to bake with high-fructose corn syrup can opt for Cokes bottled in Mexico, which are made, as they were in the United States for many years, with sugar.

These sugar-sweetened Cokes are widely available at Mexican and Central American groceries and at natural-food stores, such as Whole Foods. In the spring, sugar-sweetened Cokes turn up at many large grocery stores in the Passover-foods section, since corn-syrup products are not kosher for Passover.

Those sugar-based Cokes are a key ingredient in a dish that turns up not just at Passover but year-round in many households.

Beef brisket cooked in a simple sauce mixed with Coke transcended its Southern origins to earn a place in cooking guru Joan Nathan’s classic cookbook, “Jewish Cooking in America.”

Nathan invented new variations on the standard four-ingredient recipe, but even she admits the basic, unembellished original recipe is hard to beat.

In fact, the challenge of surpassing old-time favorite dishes made with Coke fell to the Coca-Cola Co. itself. Recently, the company asked the Culinary Institute of America to develop new recipes that would augment what they called “heritage” recipes such as the brisket.

The innovative cooks at the CIA developed breakfast, lunch and dinner dishes with Coke. Thankfully, most of the breakfast recipes used other products from the company, such as orange juice.

As in the Coca-Cola cake, the CIA’s ancho chili benefits from both the hint of sweetness and the rich coloring of the soda. Even chili-making purists would approve of the technique soaking and puréeing the ancho chile peppers for maximum flavor.

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Ancho Chili

5 ancho chiles, rinsed, stems, seeds and ribs removed 1 1/2 cups water to cover chilies 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 3 1/2 cups diced white onion, diced small 3 garlic cloves, peeled, smashed 2 jalapeño peppers, medium, seeds and ribs removed, minced 2 tablespoons tomato paste 3/4 pound ground beef, lean 3/4 pound ground pork, lean 1 cup canned whole tomatoes, roughly chopped 1 1/2 cups Coca-Cola 1 teaspoon ground cumin 1 teaspoon dried oregano 4 teaspoons salt 1 cup (10.5-ounce can) red kidney beans, canned, drained 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, grated (optional) 1/2 cup sour cream, low-fat (optional) 2 tablespoons thinly sliced green onion (optional)

Place ancho chiles in a saucepan, cover with water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.

Remove from heat and soak until softened, about 30 minutes. Transfer chiles and cooking liquid to a blender or food processor and purée until smooth. Set aside.

Heat the vegetable oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic and jalapeño peppers. Cook until onions soften and turn translucent, about 10 minutes. Add in the tomato paste and cook, stirring, another 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the beef and pork, and cook until meat is no longer pink. Add cola, tomatoes, cumin, tomatoes, and puréed chiles; stir well to combine. Bring mixture to a simmer, reduce heat to medium-low, cover and cook 30 minutes.

Stir in beans and 1 tablespoon salt. Continue to simmer, uncovered, until mixture thickens, about 30 to 40 minutes. Adjust seasoning to taste with remaining 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste.

Ladle chili into warmed bowls and garnish with cheese, sour cream, and green onions if desired.

Note: May use 1 1/2 pounds beef instead of beef and pork mixture.

— Recipe courtesy of Coca-Cola Co.

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Cola Cake

For the cake 1 cup Coca-Cola 1 cup butter 3 tablespoons cocoa 2 cups sugar 2 cups flour 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 eggs 1/2 cup buttermilk 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon vanilla

For the frosting 1/4 pound (1 stick) butter 3 tablespoons cocoa 6 tablespoons cream or milk 1 teaspoon vanilla 1/2 cup pecans, chopped 1 pound confectioners’ sugar

In a sauce pan bring Coca-Cola, butter, and cocoa to a boil.

Mix the sugar, flour and salt. Pour the mixture in the boiling liquid and beat well.

Add the eggs, buttermilk, soda and vanilla and beat well.

Pour the mixture into a greased and floured sheet cake pan and bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

To make the frosting, combine the butter cocoa and milk in a saucepan and heat until the butter melts.

Beat in the remaining ingredients, and spread on the hot cake.

Cool and cut.

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Beef Brisket With Coca-Cola

3- to 4-pound beef brisket 1 envelope dry Lipton onion soup mix 1 (12-ounce) bottle chili sauce 1 (12-ounce) can regular Coca Cola

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Trim meat of as much fat as possible.

Place the brisket in a 9-by-13-inch shallow baking pan and sprinkle with the dry onion soup mix.

Top with the chili sauce.

Pour the Coca-Cola over top. With a spoon, spread the chili sauce all over the brisket to make su re all of the meat is covered.

Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake in preheated oven 3 to 4 hours or until brisket is fork tender.

Remove the brisket from the oven, and let it rest for at least 20 minutes. This will give the meat time for the juices to redistribute.

Slice thinly against the grain.

Make eight servings.

— Recipe from “Jewish Cooking in America” by Joan Nathan